'Counting the Cost: Financial Scrutiny of the Department for Transport 2011-12 (HC 1560)' reports that although additional investment in road and rail infrastructure projects were announced in the Autumn Statement, there is concern that the regions are not as well provided for as London and the south east. There are also real concerns about how the projects were chosen.

Ministers need to provide much more information about how the Department's funding of the Regional Growth and Growing Places Funds has been used.

While the presentation of financial information is in a clearer, simpler format than previous years, the key performance indicators fail to show whether the Department for Transport's (DfT's) policies are effective and, overall, the DfT's 2010-11 annual report gives a very thin account of the their performance during the year.

The Department must publish much more information about changes made to its budget. MPs noted that the DfT underspent in 2010-11 by more than the budget cuts made during that year.

It is recommended that the new rail schemes announced in the Autumn Statement should be regarded as additional to those which the Government will agree to fund - as part of the planning for the 2014-19 rail spending period.

Finally, the Committee repeats its call for the Department to publish a national transport strategy to explain what the Government aims to achieve by spending money on transport, and how its policies support these aims.